System and method for semantic trick play

ABSTRACT

A semantic based trick play method and system in a media player is provided in which a semantic trick play command is received from a user while the user is experiencing a current content of a media item. Metadata is detected with respect to a current playback position of the media item, and at least one further playback position is determined in the current content of the media item or a related content in another media item. The further playback position is semantically related to the metadata of the current playback position. Playback is then moved to the at least one further playback position, so that the user experiences a media content of the at least one further playback position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/149,220 filed on Feb. 2, 2009, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a media system and, moreparticularly, to a media system for, and method of, semantic trick play.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In general, online video on demand (VoD) systems are growing andbecoming more accessible (Netflix®, Amazon, Apple TV®). As contentlibraries grow, a semantic system would be useful and desirable forvideo systems in order to attract and maintain viewership. A semanticcatalogue can help a viewer bridge the gap on plot knowledge and findrelevant content across content libraries.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a method ofsemantic trick play in a media player, including: receiving a semantictrick play command during playback of a current content of a media item;detecting metadata with respect to a current playback position of themedia item; determining at least one further playback position in thecurrent content of the media item or a related content in another mediaitem, the further playback position being semantically related to themetadata of the current playback position; and moving playback to the atleast one further playback position, so that a media content of the atleast one further playback position is then played back by the mediaplayer.

In the method, the media item may include a video item.

The current playback position may include a first scene in a videoepisode, and the at least one further playback position may comprise asecond scene within the video episode, which is semantically andcausally linked to the first scene.

Alternatively, the current playback position may include a first scenein a first video episode, and the at least one further playback positionmay comprise a second scene within a second video episode, which issemantically and causally linked to the first scene in the first videoepisode.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a media system forsemantic trick play in a video player is provided, including: means forreceiving a semantic trick play command from a user while the user isviewing a current content of a video item; means for detecting metadatawith respect to a current playback position of the video item; means fordetermining at least one further playback position in the currentcontent of the video item or a related content in another video item,the further playback position being semantically related to the metadataof the current playback position; and means for moving playback to theat least one further playback position, so that the user views a videocontent of the at least one further playback position.

The present invention also contemplates a computer readable mediumincluding software for instructing a media system to: receive a semantictrick play command from a user while the user is experiencing a currentcontent of a media item; detect metadata with respect to a currentplayback position of the media item; determine at least one furtherplayback position in the current content of the media item or a relatedcontent in another media item, the further playback position beingsemantically related to the metadata of the current playback position;and move playback to the at least one further playback position, so thatthe user experiences a media content of the at least one furtherplayback position.

The present invention also provides a media system for semantic trickplay, including: a media player which detects information regarding acurrently viewed first scene of a video content based on a currentplayback location; a content semantic model which receives theinformation regarding the currently viewed first video scene and returnsto the media player a reference to a second scene within the videocontent and which is semantically and causally linked to the currentlyviewed first scene; a content server which receives a request from themedia player and then returns to the media player the second scene whichis semantically and causally linked to the first scene; and a displaydevice which displays the video content; wherein the media player playsback the second scene on the display device.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the presentinvention and realize additional aspects thereof after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments inassociation with the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part ofthis specification illustrate several aspects of the invention, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a media system according to an exemplary embodimentof the present invention;

FIGS. 2A through 2D depict a broad overview of a semantic rewindoperating in the media system of FIG. 1 according to an illustrativeembodiment;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of the media system of FIG. 1operating in a content retrieval mode; and

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method operating in themedia system of FIGS. 1 and 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Upon readingthe following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures,those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the inventionand will recognize applications of these concepts not particularlyaddressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts andapplications fall within the scope of the disclosure and theaccompanying claims.

Note that at times the system of the present invention is described asperforming a certain function. However, one of ordinary skill in the artwould know that the program is what is performing the function ratherthan the entity of the system itself.

Although aspects of one implementation of the present invention aredepicted as being stored in memory, one skilled in the art willappreciate that all or part of systems and methods consistent with thepresent invention may be stored on or read from other computer-readablemedia, such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks,and CD-ROM, a carrier wave received from a network such as the Internet,or other forms of ROM or RAM either currently known or later developed.Further, although specific components of the system have been described,one skilled in the art will appreciate that a system suitable for usewith the methods and systems consistent with the present invention maycontain additional or different components.

FIG. 1 illustrates a media system according to an exemplary embodimentof the present invention. In general, the media system for semantictrick play 10 includes an input device 12, such as but not limited to akeyboard, keypad, or remote control for operation by an associated user14, and a media playback system 16. In this exemplary embodiment, themedia playback system 16 includes a media player 18 and a display device20.

The media player 18 may be, for example, a personal computer, a set-topbox (STB) for playing digital television content received from atelevision content provider, a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) for playingpreviously recorded video content such as previously recorded televisioncontent received from a television content provider, an Apple TV® devicefor playing downloaded content that has been purchased or rented from aremote media distribution service such as the Apple® iTunes® store, aDigital Versatile Disc (DVD) player, or the like. The media player 18may be connected to the display device 20 via any desired audio/videoconnection such as, for example, a High Definition Multimedia Interface(HDMI) connection, a Digital Video Interface (DVI) connection, a coaxialcable connection, or the like. The display device 20 may be, forexample, a computer display screen, a television (TV), or the like. Inan alternative embodiment, the display device 20 may be incorporatedinto the media player 18.

The media player 18 includes a media playback function 24 and a semantictrick play function 26, each of which may be implemented in software,hardware, or a combination thereof. The media playback function 24generally operates to provide playback of media items obtained from acontent source or server 28. In the exemplary embodiment, the mediaitems are video items. As such, the media playback function 24 providesplayback of the video items and presentation of the video items to theuser 14 via the display device 20. The content server 28 variesdepending on the particular implementation of the media player 18. Forexample, if the media player 18 is an STB, then the content server 28may be a television content distribution network such as a CableTelevision (CATV) network. As another example, if the media player 18 isa DVD player, then the content server 28 is a DVD. As a further example,if the media player 18 is a device such as an Apple TV® device, then thecontent server 28 may be a remote media distribution service such as theApple® iTunes® store, where the media player 18 has access to the remotemedia distribution service via a network such as, for example, theInternet.

The following is a more detailed description of the semantic trick playconsistent with the present invention.

The semantic relationships between plot elements across one piece ofcontent or various pieces of content may be established using varioustechniques, including, but not limited to, one of the followingexemplary techniques: user community networks (for example, The InternetMovie Database (IMDb)), by a content provider, or semanticanalysis/indexing and retrieval of video/storyline detection.

There are currently many active user community networks around popularvideo content. Such a user community may create the relationships using:a wiki-model where multiple contributors refine semantic relationshipsin the process of creating annotations and other useful content relatedto the video content. Alternatively, a DVR interface may be used wherethe semantic relationships can be created by individual users andaggregated by a service using the DVR, while watching the content.

When provided by the content provider, the MPEG-7 standard allows forannotations to be bundled along with the original piece of content. Thesemantic relationships or references to semantic relationships can beencoded in MPEG-7 by the content provider.

With respect to semantic analysis, indexing and retrieval of video, andstoryline detection, these techniques leverage various techniques in,for example but not limited to, video analysis of visual effects, speechand audio effects, object and facial recognition, natural languageprocessing and semantic analysis using speech recognition, ontologies,machine learning, information indexing and retrieval and semantic orontological querying.

Moreover, performing metadata analysis on a particular scene of a videocontemplates metadata that may include, but is not limited to, at leastone of: descriptions of a video scene, actual and/or fictional names ofcharacters in a video scene, data structures establishing semantic linksbetween two or more video scenes, or indexes that allow semantic linkingand retrieval.

Moreover, for each video scene or segment, the metadata informationidentifying and describing the segment may include informationdescribing the content of the segment of the media item. For example,the information may describe the segment as containing an action scene,a romantic scene, or the like. As another example, if the media item isone of the Star Wars movies, the information may describe the content ofthe segment more specifically as containing a Princess Leia scene, aDarth Vader scene, a droid scene, a space-fighting scene, or the like.As another example, the information describing the segment may include alist of actors or actresses appearing in the segment and/or adescription of activities that take place in the segment. Theinformation describing the content of the segments of the media item maybe information provided by a producer or creator of the media item,information such as annotations provided by one or more users that havepreviously viewed the media item, or the like, or any combinationthereof.

Also consistent with the present invention, the metadata may be, forexample, tags, annotations, a script or lyrics for the media item,closed-captioning information, sub-titles, or the like. Moreover, thesemantic trick play function 26 may also utilize a combination of audioand video frame analysis techniques. For example, to detect violentcontent, in addition to frame analysis techniques to detect, forexample, smoke or blood pixels, the system may also utilize audioanalysis techniques, for example, to detect gunshot sounds.

For utilizing semantic trick play across episodes, a content library isprovided to be available to the DVR (see, for example, content server 28in FIGS. 1 and 3). The content library can be a local library (such asiTunes®/Apple TV®) or at some remote content library source (such ascable VoD or Netflix®).

An explanation of some of the terms and functions will now be providedin the context of the present invention. Content semantic relationshipsmay span across episodes, movies or genres, various multimedia contenttypes, and result in a semantic content tree, which is navigable by themedia system for semantic trick play 10 making requests for semantictrick play functions. While the present invention refers to a semanticcontent tree, other semantic content relationships are contemplated andmay also resemble graph structures other than a tree. Thus, in semanticcontent trees, nodes have a single parent node, which implies that asingle event in a plot leads to a single consequence, or conversely asingle event may have only a single cause. If the plot is linear (whichis the typical case), the semantic structure would resemble a tree, butin case of non-linear or complex plots, the relationship structure canadopt a correspondingly complex shape. For instance, a single plot eventmay cause multiple, mutually-unrelated events down the line, in whichcase, the relationship structure would look like, for example, a web ofinterleaved trees rather than a single tree. Another case is where asingle content item has multiple plot-lines (e.g., a soap, etc.).

These semantic relationships are stored in a remote server, such as thecontent server 28, or downloaded to the local playback device, such asthe media player 18.

Forward and backward references in the semantic content tree generallyrepresent moving back and forth in plot lines, episodes or story lines.

The term “trick play” generally refers to using the transport or viewingcontrols such as pause, instant replay, rewind, etc., of the mediaplayer 18 (for example, a DVR system). Embodiments commensurate with thepresent invention relate to a semantic based trick play system, suchthat an additional set of trick play controls is also available which isbased on semantics instead of time.

Semantic trick play functions are implemented, for example, in softwareand have the following functionality:

-   Semantic Rewind—When a user selects semantic rewind: (1) the current    video pauses; (2) the media player 18 (e.g., DVR or playback unit)    fetches the semantic tree for this video segment or scene; (3) a    selection is made from the semantic tree; (4) the DVR looks back    semantically to the referred video segment; (5) the DVR fetches the    video segment, and the current segment location is stored for later    reference; (6) the DVR starts playing the fetched video segment;    and (7) at the conclusion of playing, the user may either hit    semantic rewind again, and go back to step (1), or do nothing, and    the system continues playback on the previous video.-   Semantic Fast Forward—This function is similar to Semantic Rewind,    except the system moves forward in the semantic tree.-   Semantic Play/Pause—This function executes play and pause on the    current video clip.-   Semantic Unwind (or Resume)—This function serves to unwind all trick    play functions and return to the original video clip and the    position in which the semantic trick play was initially invoked.

The semantic trick play functionality will be discussed in more detaillater on in connection with FIGS. 1, 3 and 4.

FIGS. 2A through 2D show a broad overview of a semantic rewindconsistent with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. On thefar right in FIG. 2A, a user 14 is viewing an episode of “The Office”(Episode 34). The user has missed a few episodes and is not aware ofplot subtleties. In one such scene during Episode 34, the user 14 doesnot understand a plot element and hits “semantic rewind”, for example, abutton 32 on the input device 12. As shown in FIG. 2B, the user 14 istaken back to a previous scene in Episode 25 which explains thereference. As further shown in FIGS. 2C and 2D, the user 14 continues tohit the semantic rewind button 32 and the system continues to take himback to the various connected plot elements in Episodes 21 and 15.

Similarly, the user 14 may hit a “semantic fast forward”, for example, abutton 34 on the input device 12 (see FIG. 1), and the system 10 wouldtake him forward to follow the current plot element. While the broadoverview above shows an example regarding various episodes, the semantictrick play consistent with the present invention can be across one pieceof content, as well as various episodes.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of the media system of FIG. 1operating in a content retrieval mode, whereas FIG. 4 depicts anillustrative embodiment of a method operating in the media system ofFIGS. 1 and 3.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, in step S100, a user 14 is watchingvideo content (e.g., playing Episode 5, scene 2) on the media player 18,such as a DVR. The user 14 executes a semantic rewind by pressing thesemantic rewind button 32 on the input device 12 (step S102).

In step S104, the DVR passes the current scene information to thecontent semantic module 30. While the content semantic module 30 isshown as a separate unit in FIGS. 1 and 3, the content semantic module30 can be hosted locally on the media player (e.g., DVR) 18, or on aremote system.

The content semantic module 30 returns a backward reference to thecurrent scene and plot element (step S106). In FIG. 3, as an example,Episode 1, scene 3, is returned by the semantic module 30.

In step S108, the DVR 18 requests the scene from the content library,which may be content server 28 (i.e., a request is made to fetch Episode1, scene 3, from the content server 28).

Finally, in step S110, the scene is returned and the content is playedfor the user 14 on the DVR 18 by the semantic trick play function 26(i.e., the Episode 1, scene 3 clip is returned and then played for theuser 14). The user 14 can play or pause the returned scene by hittingthe semantic play/pause button 38 on the input device 12. Accordingly,the user 14 is able to play back the scene from an earlier episode whichis related in some fashion to the episode and scene he was originallywatching.

Similarly, for executing a semantic fast forward, the media player 18passes the current scene information to the content semantic module 30,and the semantic module 30 returns to the media player 18 a forwardreference to the current scene. The media player 18 requests thereturned reference from the content server 28. The scene is returned andthe content is played on the media player 18.

EXAMPLE 1 Semantic Rewind Across Multiple Videos

Richard is a spotty watcher of “The Office” from NBC. During oneparticular scene, he hears Michael Scott use the words “Dinka Flicka”.He does not understand the reference, because he has missed so manyepisodes, so he hits the “Semantic Rewind” button 32. His DVR fetches ascene from an episode from last season where Darryl, from the warehouse,teaches Michael fake urban slang. Richard understands and is happy.

EXAMPLE 2 Semantic Rewind within Same Video

Cathy is watching an old MacGyver episode on ABC.com. She gets confusedat one point as the plot does not make sense and asks “How the heck??”and presses the “Semantic Rewind” button 32 on input device 12. Themedia player 18 performs metadata analysis on the current scene andfinds the metadata “ingenious use, do-not-try-this-at-home, stapler,rubber band, grappling hook”. The player searches the indexed metadataof previous scenes and finds one with the metadata “sur-reptitious,hide, rubber band, stapler, plot device”, and identifies this scene as apotential solution.

Alternatively, prior analysis has been performed on this video, eitherby machine or human users, and a semantic link graph is embedded in themetadata layer (MPEG 7) which links these two scenes. The media player18 simply traverses this graph for a semantic rewind. The media player18 rewinds to that scene.

Cathy watches the scene closely this time. She notices him slip a rubberband and a stapler in his coat pocket, and finally understands how hewas able to build a grappling hook launcher to pull himself out of themine shaft.

She presses “Semantic Unwind” button 36 and jumps back to her previousposition. She then gets a call that she has to take, and cannot watchthe full episode, so she double taps the “Semantic Fast Forward” button34. This takes her to the climactic scene where the entire plot isresolved. She stops watching the video and takes the call.

A further description of how semantic relevance is established will nowbe described.

When a user invokes a semantic trick play function, the system 10 has todetermine what is semantically relevant at that point in playback. Theremay be several interesting semantic items, which may be identified usingvarious techniques already discussed. Each of these semantic items willtake different paths through the semantic content tree. The system 10thus determines which of these semantic paths to take using anycombination of the following techniques:

-   1) As instructed by the content provider/producer, the content    producer instructs the system as to what is semantically relevant    during which video segments/scenes/clips.-   2) By user community: either implicitly or explicitly, the user    community votes on what is most relevant. “Implicit” refers to, for    example, a semantic path that users have taken in the past or a    historical selection. It can also refer to a historical path related    to the current video content or the current location within the    video. “Explicit” refers to a situation where a user obtains    multiple options and then the user makes the choice and selects his    choice by, for example, pressing a button.-   3) By querying the user: upon involving semantic trick play, the    system displays to the user the semantically relevant points in the    current video segment or time, and the user selects which is most    relevant to him.-   4) User history and profile: the system makes a calculated judgment    about what is most relevant to the user, using history of previous    selections or the user profile.

In the exemplary embodiment, establishing semantic relevance may includeCausal Graphs or Causal Networks. A Causal Graph, as used herein,describes the causal relationship between two states or events, e.g.,event E1 “causes” or “enables” or “leads to” event E2, or state S1 is“changed by” event E1 to state S2.

For instance, at a high level, E1 may describe scene S1, where “MacGyversteals a rubber band and a stapler”, and E2 may describe S2, where“MacGyver builds a grappling hook out of a rubber band and a stapler”,and hence there is a causal “enables” relationship between E1 and E2,and by extension, scenes S1 and S2. A Semantic Rewind operation on ascene S2 described by E2 would travel this causal relationship backwardsto accurately identify scene S1 described by E1 that enables it.

Thus, in the present invention, the semantic trick play operation shouldnot take the user to a scene with similar semantic/ontological nodes butabsolutely no causal relationship. For instance, a rewind on scene S1where MacGyver steals a stapler and a rubber band, tagged with semanticnodes [“MacGyver”, “stapler”, “rubber band”], should not take the viewerto an unrelated scene S3 where MacGyver uses a stapler to staple a bunchof forms and bundles them up using a rubber band, which also happens tobe tagged with semantic nodes [“MacGyver”, “stapler”, “rubber band”].Instead, and unlike previous solutions that do not consider causality,in the present invention, the Semantic Rewind on scene S1 takes the userto the related scene S2.

Constructing such data structures through automated video analysis maybe accomplished using techniques in the fields of artificialintelligence (AI), Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing, andare thus contemplated by this invention. For the purposes of thisinvention, however, such Causal Networks also may be created manually byhuman operators or user created links.

In addition, techniques employing probabilistic approaches andheuristics may also be applied.

For instance, a scene S1 tagged (either automatically or manually) with[“MacGyver”, “steals”, “stapler”, “rubber band”] would have a highcorrelation with a scene S2 tagged with [“MacGyver”, “uses”, “stapler”,“rubber band” “builds”, “grappling hook”] simply because they share alarge number of tags, and hence there is a high chance they are causallyrelated. Furthermore, the fact that scene S1 occurs before S2 (comparingtemporal locations) indicates that S1 probably causes S2, i.e., thecausal relationship can be described as:

-   S1 - - - [leads to] - - - >S2.    Such simple probabilistic models may lead to a large number of    relevant causal relationships, which can be further filtered and/or    enhanced using heuristics. For example, S1 and S2 occur in the same    episode, which gives the causal relationship higher probability of    being accurate as opposed to, for example, a link between S1 and S3,    or S2 and S3, where S3 occurs in a different episode. As another    example, the tag “MacGyver” shows up in 90% of all scenes, which    implies that it is a primary focus of this video. Hence when    comparing tags and identifying relevant videos, that tag is given    lower weight, that is, if two scenes only have that one tag    “MacGyver” in common, they are not deemed to be especially relevant    to each other.

Note that the tags do not have to explicitly name the objects or actionsthey refer to, but they may just identify common objects using videoobject recognition, i.e., [“MacGyver”, “rubber band”, “stapler”] maysimply be identified as objects [“P1”, “O2”, “O3”], and those sameobjects showing up in both scenes would lead to both scenes having thesame tags. Video object recognition and object identification per se arewell known in computer vision art.

The present invention has substantial opportunity for variation withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Forexample, while the embodiments discussed herein are directed to personalor in-home playback, the present invention is not limited thereto.Further, while the examples refer to video segments or scenes, thepresent invention is not limited thereto and other forms of mediacontent are contemplated herein.

Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modificationsto the preferred embodiments of the present invention. All suchimprovements and modifications are considered within the scope of theconcepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.

1. A method of semantic trick play in a media player, comprising:receiving a semantic trick play command during playback of a currentcontent of a media item; detecting metadata with respect to a currentplayback position of the media item; determining at least one furtherplayback position in the current content of the media item or a relatedcontent in another media item, the further playback position beingsemantically related to the metadata of the current playback position;and moving playback to the at least one further playback position, sothat a media content of the at least one further playback position isthen played back by the media player.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe media item comprises a video item.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinthe current playback position comprises a first scene in a videoepisode, and the at least one further playback position comprises asecond scene within the video episode, which is semantically andcausally linked to the first scene.
 4. The method of claim 2, whereinthe current playback position comprises a first scene in a first videoepisode, and the at least one further playback position comprises asecond scene within a second video episode, which is semantically andcausally linked to the first scene in the first video episode.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the at least onefurther playback position is carried out based on at least one of: auser command, semantic relevance, a user context, a user profile, oraccessibility of the at least one further playback position.
 6. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of:descriptions of a video scene, actual and/or fictional names ofcharacters in a video scene, data structures establishing semantic linksbetween two or more video scenes, or indexes that allow semantic linkingand retrieval.
 7. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of movingplayback to the at least one further playback position comprisessemantically rewinding to the second scene.
 8. The method of claim 3,wherein the step of moving playback to the at least one further playbackposition comprises semantically fast forwarding to the second scene. 9.The method of claim 4, wherein the step of moving playback to the atleast one further playback position comprises semantically rewinding tothe second scene.
 10. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of movingplayback to the at least one further playback position comprisessemantically fast forwarding to the second scene.
 11. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the step of semantically rewinding is initiated inresponse to a semantic rewind command from an input device.
 12. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the step of semantically fast forwarding isinitiated in response to a semantic fast forward command from an inputdevice.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of semanticallyrewinding is initiated in response to a semantic rewind command from aninput device.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the step ofsemantically fast forwarding is initiated in response to a semantic fastforward command from an input device.
 15. A media system for semantictrick play in a video player, comprising: means for receiving a semantictrick play command from a user while the user is viewing a currentcontent of a video item; means for detecting metadata with respect to acurrent playback position of the video item; means for determining atleast one further playback position in the current content of the videoitem or a related content in another video item, the further playbackposition being semantically related to the metadata of the currentplayback position; and means for moving playback to the at least onefurther playback position, so that the user views a video content of theat least one further playback position.
 16. The media system of claim15, wherein the current playback position comprises a first scene in avideo episode, and the at least one further playback position comprisesa second scene within the video episode, which is semantically andcausally linked to the first scene.
 17. The media system of claim 15,wherein the current playback position comprises a first scene in a firstvideo episode, and the at least one further playback position comprisesa second scene within a second video episode, which is semantically andcausally linked to the first scene in the first video episode.
 18. Themedia system of claim 16, wherein the means for moving playback to theat least one further playback position semantically rewinds the videoepisode to the second scene.
 19. The media system of claim 16, whereinthe means for moving playback to the at least one further playbackposition semantically fast forwards the video episode to the secondscene.
 20. The media system of claim 17, wherein the means for movingplayback to the at least one further playback position semanticallyrewinds to the second scene within the second video episode.
 21. Themedia system of claim 17, wherein the means for moving playback to theat least one further playback position semantically fast forwards to thesecond scene within the second video episode.
 22. A computer readablemedium comprising software for instructing a media system to: receive asemantic trick play command from a user while the user is experiencing acurrent content of a media item; detect metadata with respect to acurrent playback position of the media item; determine at least onefurther playback position in the current content of the media item or arelated content in another media item, the further playback positionbeing semantically related to the metadata of the current playbackposition; and move playback to the at least one further playbackposition, so that the user experiences a media content of the at leastone further playback position.
 23. A media system for semantic trickplay, comprising: a media player which detects information regarding acurrently viewed first scene of a video content based on a currentplayback location; a content semantic module which receives theinformation regarding the currently viewed first video scene and returnsto the media player a reference to a second scene within the videocontent and which is semantically and causally linked to the currentlyviewed first scene; a content server which receives a request from themedia player and then returns to the media player the second scene whichis semantically and causally linked to the first scene; and a displaydevice which displays the video content; wherein the media player playsback the second scene on the display device.
 24. The media system ofclaim 23, wherein the media player semantically rewinds the videocontent to the second scene.
 25. The media system of claim 23, whereinthe media player semantically fast forwards the video content to thesecond scene.
 26. The media system of claim 24, further comprising aninput device having a semantic rewind button, wherein the media devicesemantically rewinds the video content to the second scene when a userpresses the semantic rewind button.
 27. The media system of claim 25,further comprising an input device having a semantic fast forwardbutton, wherein the media device semantically fast forwards the videocontent to the second scene when a user presses the semantic fastforward button.